Some people have the mistaken view that there is a rigid hierarchy of universities in this country; if that were so, we would need admissions systems that are purely meritocratic. Most observers, however, recognize that no such hierarchy exists, and that the educational experience is enhanced by creating a diverse student body. Do affirmative action programs in our universities actually accomplish that goal? Or, to reframe the question slightly, does admitting a black student from an affluent family create more diversity than admitting a working-class white student from a rural area?
It is a factual question about which I am ambivalent. On the one hand, I suspect that virtually all black students have had experiences that set them apart from the white world; on the other hand, it may be that a relatively privileged black student identifies more with his white peers than with less affluent blacks. I will leave that question to those who have experience dealing with it.
Which leads us to the second question: why should the Supreme Court have the right to overturn the decisions of elected officials and private parties as to the continuing necessity of affirmative action? What special knowledge does John Roberts have to make that call?
None whatsoever. It’s about ideology, not facts.